370 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
tMAY 11, 1895 . 
Americanisms" is full of inaccuracies, It is a work, of 
great merit, but its compiler — like Hammond, who is one 
of Ms references on this particular point — was perhaps 
better versed in literature than in the lore of the forest. 
S. D. Barnes. 
Fort Worth, Tex. 
Detroit, Mich.— The editorial allusion in Forest and 
Stream of April 27 to the criticism of "Kingfisher" on the 
use of the term "buck fever" to express that common, but 
highly unsatisfactory, condition of the hunter's nervous 
system which sometimes follows the discovery of the 
"noble quarry" within easy rifle shot* leads me to offer in 
evidence in support of Brother "Kingfisher" some sug- 
gestions in considering the appropriateness of his position. 
It is perhaps not a question of great moment whether it 
is called one or the other, any more than the importance 
of la grippe as a term for influenza, break-bone fever or 
dumb ague. There can be no doubt about one thing— it is 
a mighty unpleasant affair to the man who has it. 
Analyzing the term from the point of view of an actual 
experience, it would seem that buck ague is the correct 
term. Anybody who is at all conversant with the delights 
of a genuine ague, as we used to know it in the West, can 
hardly fail to forget that an Arctic chill merrily coursing 
up and down one's spinal column, and playing with beau- 
tiful abandon all through the marrow of one's bones, and 
ricocheting from point to point of one's anatomy for sev- 
eral consecutive hours, is succeeded and accompanied by 
a series of involuntary shakes which could put to shame 
a perfectly healthy Peruvian earthquake, and is duly fol- 
lowed by a fever to the like of which a lake of molten 
lava would be a cheerful and cooling companion. 
This, then, it would seem, fixes the analogy between 
these two distressing maladies. The supersensitive per- 
son who is suddenly confronted by a colossal buck, and 
proceeds to become agitated, excited, perturbed and other- 
wise incapacitated from "drawing a bead" on the game 
with any certainty, is conscious of a decided chill along 
his vertebrae and throughout his system generally, accom- 
panied by a quaking of the nether limbs and symptoms of 
a general breaking up. 
By the time this has ceased and the cause thereof has 
disappeared utterly from his gaze, if the said hunter is not 
then "hot" clear through, under his collar as well as else- 
where — mad, too, as well as hot — why then he hasn't had 
back ague at all. 
Bartlett was a careful investigator of terms and phrases, 
but he quotes, as you say, but one authority in this case in 
support of the choice of the terms. I suppose, as a matter 
of fact, that the terms are localisms, and each is used in 
different sections of the country; but to be technically ex- 
act and consistent, I vote on the side of "Kingfisher" on 
the question. Frank Heywood. 
Spring- Shooting and Breeding Birds. 
Halifax, N. S. , May 3. — Editor Forest and Stream: It 
might be of service to you in the fight against spring 
shooting to mention to you that on April 20, while fishing 
up a small stream, entering into Bedford Basin on this 
harbor, I disturbed a pair of black ducks. Shortly after 
this I heard a rustling in the bush across the stream, when 
out came three young ducks but a short time hatched. 
This being the case in Nova Scotia, surely the young 
birds would be further advanced by the same date in your 
State. C. J. Creighton. 
The Florida Central & Peninsular Railroad.— The Florida Central 
Railroad has issued for the benefit of sportsmen a carefully eampiled 
list of game and fishing resorts reached by their line, together with 
particulars as to hotels and boarding-houses, Here is a sample of the 
information: "Woodbine, Ga. — Forty-nine miles north of Jackson- 
ville; delightful little village; fine, rich, black soil. Information 
furnished, by J. K. Bedell, or G. W. Adams. A happy surprise to 
lovers of gun and dog; wild bear, deer, turkey, duck and quail 
abundant; no guides necessary; climate delightful; pure water from 
artesian wells; excellent hotel accommodations." The Florida Central 
has a "warm spot in its breast" for sportsmen. It not only makes 
special traffic rates for parties of sportsmen, but it also carries free 
of charge dogs and hunting implements. A large map of its territory 
will be sent free of charge by A. ©/. MacDonell, Gen. Pass. Agent, 
Jacksonville, Fla. — Adv. 
IN THE YELLOWTAIL BELT. 
Santa Cataeina, Southern California.— The Southern 
California season for ocean fishing is just opening and 
promises well. It might be said that there is no especial 
season, as fishing goes on here every day in the year, but 
the really game fish of large size come in shore in May 
and afford the best sport up to November. One may 
catch small fry off the wharves of San Pedro, Santa 
Monica, Long Beach and Eedondo, and good fishing is to 
be had in the boats that go out from San Pedro and troll 
for barracuda up and down the beaches; but the coast of 
Southern California in the main is a long stretch of sandy 
beach with few bays and harbors or rocks. Not only this, 
the prevailing wind is from the west and a continued sea 
piles in upon the sands, making fishing off the beach not 
always a pleasant occupation. 
p The sea fishing, then, when good results are desired, 
is confined to the two islands off shore — Santa Cata- 
lina and San Clemente. They are both from eighteen to 
twenty miles long, abounding in little bays, rocky shores 
and cliffs, where the game fish swarm. 
Santa Catalina is the largest island and reached from 
the mainland by a fine steamer service, the trip from Los 
Angeles being about 45 miles or three and a half hours, 
giving one a delightful sail across the Santa Catalina 
channel that is about 30 miles wide. The island lies par- 
allel with the coast, so that its south side is rough, and 
the north, abounding in harbors, is smooth. On the 
southwest side a little town— Avalon— has been built up, 
which in summer boasts a population of 5,000 to 6,000. 
It is the nearest thing to Bar Harbor one can find in 
Southern California, has one fine hotel and many smaller 
ones, while leading up the streets on the sides of the 
canon are the cottages and summer homes of the visitors. 
The little town is a fashionable resort, and that the 
Southern Californians love fishing is evident from the 
fact that Avalon is crowded all summer, and everybody 
goes fishing. In time, when better known, it will become 
famous among the lovers of true sport. 
The method of fishing here reminds me more of that of 
Alexandria Bay, on the St. Lawrence, and it only re- 
quired WillMassey and his boat, well known on the bay, 
to complete the resemblance. The shores are abrupt and 
precipitous, and the method is to take an oarsman or row 
yourself and troll or cast with live or dead bait, the for- 
mer method being the most in vogue. There are dozens 
of oarsmen and hundreds of boats, and in the morning 
the little bay presents a gay scene as the fishermen and 
parties start out. My old oarsman on the St. Lawrence 
used to row me twenty-five or more miles a day, and 
here it is often the same, and sometimes against the 
wind, the men being sturdy fellows. One of the oldest 
oarsmen is Mexican Joe, who has been on the island 
forty years and will tell you all about it. Joe knows 
where all the Indian mounds are, and has headed several 
expeditions in the interest of archaeological investigation 
which have produced some remarkable objects in stone 
and shell — the household gods of the ancients who occu- 
pied these islands from time immemorial. 
I secured Joe for my day's fishing, and one morning we 
started before the sun had left Arizona, his rays just being 
seen on the snow-capped peaks of San Bernardino, San 
Jacinto in the Sierras, 75 miles away. The water of the 
bay was so smooth that the high rocks which we passed 
were perfectly reproduced. As we rowed slowly along I 
noticed a number of ripples on the water, made by nu- 
merous fins, and standing up, saw that we were entering 
a school of sea bass. They fairly colored the water a 
deep gray, and ranged from 20 to 601bs,— magnificent fel- 
lows. They divided and passed on each side of us, not 
10ft. distant. Joe said they would not bite, and he was a 
true prophet. 
For years the California fish have been caught on hand 
lines, their size apparently precluding the idea of a rod 
and reel; but now the latter is used. Our equipment was 
made up of two rods, one a split-bamboo weighing about 
16oz.,,with a large expert reel holding about 350ft. of 21- 
strand line; the other a nondescript which I had used for 
bass in the East and which weighed 9 or 10oz., the tip 
being about 4in. of a split-bamboo tip of a trout rod. The 
line was an 18-strand cuttyhunk, with an expert reel — the 
largest to be had in Los Angeles. I had one of these on 
each side and 75ft. of line out. 
For 100yds. we rowed through this band of fish, but not 
one would touch the bait— a 4in. sardine or smelt; and I 
find that these fish are wary, not more than one or two 
being taken a day on the line through the season, though 
it should be said that numbers are hooked, but are too big 
to manage. Rounding a little point we came into the 
green water of the open ocean, where a fresh wind was 
blowing, and here I had my first strike. The reel gave a 
warning note which grew into a wail of agony and 100ft. 
of line was gone in a single rush, then 10, 20, 30ft. torn off 
with rasping sounds before I ventured to apply the brake, 
and then the ominous strain on the rod was a warning to 
be heeded. 
Joe had stopped rowing and was following the motions 
of the rod with staring eyes and anxious countenance. 
"My Scott!" he whispered, "that great fish, he the boss 
sure. How he kick! Look out, sir! " and he deftly pulled 
the boat around, keeping her stern to the fish that had 
made a magnificent rush to the side, taking the tip of the 
rod 4ft. under the water. The gamey fish was apparently 
just "warming up for the fight," as Joe said, as it began a 
series of rushes that sorely tested the tackle. 
In years past it has been the correct thing to take this 
fish with a line about the size of an Eastern cod or even 
a halibut line, but the one now cutting the water like a 
knife, leaving a sheet of silvery ripples bahind it, was 
little larger than a trout line and it was a question 
whether it would stand the tug of war. I have taken 
nearly every game fish in American waters, but never 
met so well equipped a fighter. Its rushes were magnifi- 
cent and its resources endless. One moment it would 
dash directly at the boat, and to reel the slack line in was 
almost impossible. Then when many feet had been 
taken the fish would dash 50ft. like a shot from a gun, 
making the reel scream and the rod bend like a whip. 
Then the fish would turn quickly, sound like a plummet, 
hammering at the line with sturdy blows, to 'rise and in- 
volve itself in a complete frenzy of motions. Thi? was 
kept up twenty minutes before it showed any signs of 
weariness, while the fisherman, it must be confessed, was 
weary. But gradually the sag became steadier, and 
slowly the reel began to gain, and after several more 
rushes I caught sight of a gleam of silver and yellow as 
it dashed by. Another scuffle, more screeching from the 
reel as the big fish saw me, more reeling, and then Joe 
with a quick move fixes his gaff, and with a lift dropped 
the silver beauty into the boat. 
"What a fishl My Scott, what a fish!'' exclaimed Joe, 
with eyes sparkling with excitement. . What a fish in- 
deed! A magnificent creature, 4ft. in length and weigh- 
ing at least 35 or 401bs. In shape it somewhat resembled 
the salmon, hence one of its names — the white salmon. 
The upper surface is a rich blue, iridescent in the sunlight; 
the lower portion pure silver. The eyes are blue, large 
and expressive; the mouth powerful and head large. The 
median line is a yellow, while the tail is also brilliantly 
yellow, giving the fish a rich and beautiful appearance. 
So far as its fighting and game qualities are concerned, I 
will place it in the front rank. 
In the course of the day several other specimens of this 
fish were taken, with a dozen barracuda, which afforded 
good sport on the rod; and on the west coast, just off the 
kelp, we ran into a school of rock bass which were rising 
like black bass. They ran up to (ilbs. , and gave some good 
sport on a light split-bamboo trout rod. 
The yellowtail is a capricious creature. On the return 
we passed thousands. The water for acres seemed to be 
filled with them, but when en masse they would not bite. 
The power of the fish can be estimated when I say that 
one which I struck made a single rush of 300ft. and how 
much more I know not; my line was that long and went. 
1 would suggest for this sport a large reel of the best 
quality, one that will multiply and hold 600ft. of 18 or 21- 
strand. An oil silk salmon line would be the ideal for 
this work, but I have found none that will stand the salt 
water. The yellowtail is the Seriola dorsalis of science, 
and ranges up to 801bs., but this is the exception. I found 
that length does not indicate weight. Thus, one measur- 
ing 4ft. weighed 451bs.; another, 3ft. long, 401bs, ; still 
another, and by far the finest specimen I have seen taken 
on a rod, measured 4ft. in length and weighed 631bs.» 
With a hand line, trolling from a power launch, large 
numbers of the fish are caught. Fi>cator. 
ANGLING NOTES. 
St. Dunstan's Memorial. 
Last week I mentioned the memorial window to Izaak 
Walton in St. Dunstan's Church in London, and this 
week through the kindness of Mr. R. B. Marston Forest 
and Stream is able to present illustrations of the center 
light of the window and of the marble tablet placed on 
the front of the church. The window, which was de- 
signed and executed by Percy Bacon & Brothers, Oxford 
street, London, is more than five times the size indi- 
cated by the center light. 
The. standing figure of Walton is a copy of the statue 
by Miss Mary Grant which stands in a niche of the 
great screen in Winchester Cathedral. The lower figure 
of Waiton in his study was designed by the makers of 
the window. The two side lights containing the por- 
traits of the men whose lives Walton wrote are of equal 
size with the center light here represented, and the 
three together make up about half the bright of the 
window. The window and tablet cost $550, and this 
sum was raised, as was the fund to erect the statue in 
Winchester Cathedral, through the efforts of Mr. Mar- 
ston. I am sorry to say, if my memory serves me, that 
to both of the subscriptions to these memorials there 
was but a single contribution from the United States, 
and yet Walton's memory is cherished by anglers the 
world over, and all who have a kindly feeling for the 
Father of Anglers will feel grateful to Mr. Marston for 
his efforts to perpetuate his memory in marble and 
stained glass. 
"Stocking- Waters." 
Under this heading a writer in Land and Water writes 
in a way to* delight my heart, and echoes my own ideas 
so truly that I would like to quote his entire article. 
Rearing and planting natural food fishes has been and is 
aghobby of mine that I have ridden at a good pace, but it 
is rarely that I have seen anything on this subject from 
any other pen than mine. This gentleman, writing over 
the nom de plume of "Rod," says: "In connection with 
fishculture we are accustomed to bear a good deal of the 
sort of fish with which the water is to be stocked, but next 
to nothing comparatively of the food with which they 
are to be supplied when there. And yet the second mat- 
ter is, in many cases, the more important consideration of 
the two. It is generally taken for granted, seemingly, 
that if you put a good class of trout fry into a water, you 
are bound to have a fine class of trout as the necessary 
result. The breed of fish introduced is the only thing 
considered, and the question of the food on which they 
are to grow to the desired size and condition is ordinarily 
dismissed without a thought. It is taken for granted 
that there is sure to be plenty of food in the water. 
It is overlooked that the very fact of the water 
requiring to be stocked with good fish is of itself evidence, 
in most cases, that the matter for primary consideration 
is the food supply of the trout already there. When that 
is attended to, you may reasonably entertain a hope that in 
introducing fresh blood you are likely to do permanent 
good. When a place is overfished, or heavily fished, as 
for instance Loch Leven, in such exceptional cases you 
may well need to replace by artificial breeding the num- 
bers taken out by the rod. But, ordinarily, when the 
trout in any water are small and few, and the poverty of 
the trout supply cannot be traced to overfishing * * * 
the fault lies with the food supply. Of course you may 
have the size kept small by the place being overstocked. 
But that is only another form of the same case, the fault 
still lying with the food supply, because the numbers are 
too great for the available food supply. * * * What- 
ever good strain of trout you may import, they must, in 
time, inevitably dwindle to thes'zeof the indigenous fish, 
unless, indeed, measures are simultaneously taken to im- 
prove the food in the water." 
"Rod" mentions the introduction of "fresh blood," but 
as he lays no stress upon it perhaps he does not realize 
how important it is to put fresh blood into water where 
trout have become small from inbreeding for years. This 
fresh blood to produce an outcross has much to do, as I 
believe, with increasing the size and condition of fish, and 
must be considered in connection with the food supply. 
The food for trout that "Rod" mentions particularly 
consists of the natural fly {Ephemera) and fresh-water- 
shrimp (Gammarus pidex), and cites instances from his 
own experience that a very large proportion of the nat- 
ural fly food is eaten by the trout in the larval stage. He ■ 
says: "Taking good and bad rising hours together, there 
are at least twenty full-sized and half-sized larvaa in the ■ 
trout to one winged fly." These are what- we call May 
flies or drakes, about the transplanting of which I have ■ 
written recently. His idea is to cultivate this natural 
food in waters to which the trout have no access and then 
allow it to overflow into the water where the trout are. 
As to fresh-water shrimp "Rod" says: "With the fresh- 
water shrimp the experiment has been tried with marvel- 
ous results, as the rate at which they will reproduce 
themselves, when given immunity from destruction in 
the immature stage, is beyond conception. I have seen 
them reared in a pond set apart for the purpose of breed- 
ing them for trout, and, when a small shutter was re- 
moved, they simply poured out in such countless num- 
bers that they had the effect of thickening the water. 
They are water scavengers, feeding on any dead animal 
matter, and would find delectable sustenance in well- 
diluted sewage or in any animal refuse. How many 
times in a year a fresh-water shrimp would breed, and 
how many generations would result from one pair in a 
twelve-month, would be an interesting problem to see 
worked out. And yet on the strength of personal experi- 
ments made in similar matters, and on the observations 
of practical experiments made by another with fresh- 
water shrimp, it may still be confidently affirmed that 
tons, aye, in sober earnest, and with no hyperbole, tons 
of such living natural food could be reared at a nominal 
rate of expenditure, and be led to find its own way natu- 
rally, without any artificial porterage, into the adjoining 
lake. * * * To all creatures subject to great risks of 
destruction during the periods of reproduction, nature 
has granted proportionately enhanced i ates of fertility to 
enable them to overtide the exceptional dangers of extinc- 
tion; and these same enhanced powers of reproduction, 
when properly taken advantage of, enable them to leap 
at once into amazing multitude." 
This method of rearing natural food is very like, if not 
identical with, that practised by the late Thomas Andrews 
at his trout farm in England, and there is no good reason 
why it should not be adopted in this country. 
